I adore the holiday season – but there’s one particular reason for celebration that shines the brightest in my world: New Years. The festivities, the sentiments of new beginnings, the air of hope and possibility. It’s the best.

2014 was a year of transition for me. My yearlong trip ended, my long-term boyfriend/co-pilot and I broke up, I moved my life out to Colorado on a whim, and I spent months regrouping, reorganizing, reprioritizing, and revamping. Towards the end of the year, things finally started to fall in place. I moved into a gorgeous house built in 1904 (with original hardwood floors!), and started a new job with Outdoor Industry Association.

And now I’m here – a few days out from 2015 and already eager to start a new year.

Resolutions are great, but a fresh year offers so much potential beyond making declarations like “I’m going to stop drinking soda!” (let’s get real, I’ll never stop drinking soda). I like to treat each new year as an opportunity to focus on becoming who I want to be.

This year: I want to get strong. I want to travel to new places. I want to kick some major ass at my job. I want to train harder, work harder, and play harder.

Here’s a peek into my New Years-ing:

Training: I’m starting to train, every day. Whether it’s a morning workout on my yoga mat or a session at the rock gym – doing something to improve my climbing every day. I want to climb my strongest year ever, so I have to train harder than ever too.

Letters: This year, I want to spend more time with pen + paper. I’m starting by writing notes to everyone who profoundly impacted my life in 2014. As it turns out, I have a lot of letters to write. The first one was to my mailman, because he’s a badass and trudges through wicked snow so I can get my holiday cards delivered.

2015 Word of the Year: I like to choose a theme word each year – last year it was “focus.” (Which I both did a good and horrible job of embodying.) For this year, I chose the word “create.” I want to write more (again, pen + paper, baby), doodle and draw more, craft more with my hands. I want to build, connect, imagine, and make messes more.

Simplifying: 2014 was the year of me trying to pile as much on my plate as possible. It was fun, challenging, and exciting – but this year I want to really focus my energy where it matters the most, and cut the rest of the distractions.

The universe has handed me a set of perfectly aligned stars to start 2015 with, so I’m going to roll with that and make this the best year of my life (so far, anyways). I thought nothing could beat the year I spent living in my big yellow van, but 2015 might just be the one.

I’ve got a brand new Moleskine, a cute dress to wear when the clock strikes midnight, and more ambition than I know what to do with. Let’s do this, 2015!

Happy Monday, folks! It’s been a bright and early day for me, heading to Florida State University campus at 8:00 AM to escort Niko to his transfer orientation and visiting a slew of advisors. After three and a half years of hard work and studying, I have earned myself a breezy semester with only two classes before my spring graduation! I’ll be taking Spanish II and Intro to Hospitality – other than that, my life will revolve around writing, photography and working towards full-time employment at my job. Here’s a little Monday Motivation to get everyone aboard my train of positive vibes:

“Goals and resolutions are important in 2011. However, just remember that our success will ultimately turn on our ability to make continuous good decisions on the smaller things in life. In other words, each moment matters, so stay present.” – Marianne Curtis

Get ready to tackle the spring semester, students. Everyone else, have a beautiful week and remember to stay present in each little moment.